{"id":101489,"date":"2019-08-01T09:30:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T13:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=101489"},"modified":"2019-09-26T06:38:39","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T10:38:39","slug":"ucf-students-make-a-difference-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-students-make-a-difference-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Students Make a Difference in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ten of UCF\u2019s Burnett Honors College students got the experience of a lifetime this summer when they traveled to South Africa on a three-week service-learning project that tested their ingenuity and problem-solving skills.<\/p>\n

The honors college started the South Africa initiative in 2013, and each year since, faculty and students have returned to the area to volunteer their time and talent to work on sustainable solutions, such as installing a wind turbine. Students learn how to effectively work in small teams and adapt to the needs of a community markedly different from ones they may be familiar with \u2014 skills that will serve them well after graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is for them to grow as individuals and get a different outlook on life,\u201d says Michael Callahan \u201905 \u201909MBA \u201917EdD<\/strong>, trip coordinator and director of information services at the college. \u201cSome of the things we stress and worry about here are because we live in this society and we have certain expectations. You go over there and see what true poverty is, and that they have a very different set of concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience started off in the Pomolong\/Intabazwe township in Harrismith, surrounded by flat-topped hills and grassy plains. There, the Rev. Ephraim Mbhele and his wife and staff run the Nkosinathi Community Center, which provides care, housing and education for orphaned children. UCF students took on a variety of tasks such as repairing a broken solar panel, running a clothing drive and building a swing set and fence for a new school.<\/p>\n

Marissa McNeil, a rising sophomore and forensic science<\/a> major, led the team that built a shower for the children. Originally, they had wanted to tap into water from the local government but learned that access to that supply was often unreliable, so they improvised. Using a five-gallon bag, screws, rubber hoses and a tent, they constructed a modified camping shower that used sunlight to keep the water warm.<\/p>\n